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- š¤ The REAL threat that's keeping us from 100% clean energy
š¤ The REAL threat that's keeping us from 100% clean energy
What's the REAL threat stopping us from getting to 100% clean energy, and why it's hard to believe it

Welcome to Z-Pack:.one topic, 2 minutes - easy to consume and fast-acting ā”ļø
If this is your first Z-Pack, welcome - I'm Zach.
Iām chronically online, finding out how the world works.
ā¬ļø Letās get it.
š¤ The REAL threat that's keeping us from 100% clean energy
*Sorry in advance for the crappy sizing on this photo below, but it was the best I could do!
The headlines: Oh man, where to even start? Weāve got a laundry list of things to blame: plastic straws, the evil corporations that produce most of the emissions (inaccurate), etc.
The reality:
To paraphrase economist Noah Smith - āfossil fuel companies are the biggest obstacle when it comes to decarbonizing our economy⦠But especially in the United States, thereās another big threat: NIMBYism (ānot in my backywardā/anti-new construction).
Solar and wind power requires a lot of land, and the U.S. has a lot of land, but we also have a whole lot of people who are committed to opposing essentially any projects that would develop that land in any way.ā
The TLDR:
Climate action and conservation can often clash - Americaās top environmental groups often oppose clean energy projects due to their principles of conservation, despite acknowledging the urgency of a rapid energy transition/the need to construct more solar and wind farms, for example.
And yes, again, fossil fuel companies are still the BIGGEST obstacle - for example, coal plants are only 20% of our power mix right now, but it makes up more than half of the power sectorās CO2 emissions, because itās so dirty.
What to expect next?
To quote the longer post you can read at the end - āThe solution will involve rethinking what it means to be āenvironmentalist.ā The term is usually understood to encompass a wide range of different causesāfrom climate activism, to habitat conservation, to recycling and plastic straw bans. But itās worth remembering that not everything coded as āgreenā helps fight climate change, and much of it is actively counterproductive.ā
Btw, Iām generally optimistic, especially with the recent good news that projected global warming has fallen by a THIRD since 2014.
Still hungry for more info?
See the full post I was quoting above from Wally Nowinski, former CMO of Collage.com (sold in 2021), and former democratic ads director for House and Senate Dem candidates
Thanks for taking the Pack,
Zach
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Disclaimer: This is not financial advice or recommendation for any investment. The Content is for informational purposes only, you should not construe any such information or other material as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.
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